ColoradoPu or Rat Dog Pottery pics of pottery for tea

any ideas for tea ware in stoneware? lets not get too carried away with it but if you would like to see a modification to a cretin form that you think might make it function better or have an idea for a shape that is functional please pass it on. i do this as a hobbies and i have no formal training but i an't scared to try now stuff.

so bring it on.

Last edited by coloradopu on May 31st, '09, 05:53, edited 8 times in total.

Here is a pic of a piece i did that is a good example that i had. Someone at a local tea shop suggested it be shorter and fatter.
i think it is fine the way it is and its function is good. but what do yawl think

coloradopu wrote:Here is a pic of a piece i did that is a good example that i had. Someone at a local tea shop suggested it be shorter and fatter. i think it is fine the way it is and its function is good. but what do yawl think

I agree with you! There are many shorter and flatter gaiwans out there. But sometimes I found taller vessels do better for certain tea. For example, when a lot of leaves are used for long-leaf oolong, with taller vessel, the leaves are less likely to escape or stick to the lid.

nice set! i guess it depends a little on what target audience you are looking for..like what types of tea drinking for any particular set. for me I look for sets more along the lines of for japanese teas..so i could lose the aroma cups and the pitcher i would want would be more along the lines of a yuzamushi..or shorter more open water cooling type pitcher. I bet you could make a pretty cool gyo type pot too

I like the look of the tall gaiwan (and your other pieces as well). The one downside to taller gaiwan which in some cases could be a positive, the temp at the bottom is lower than the temp at the top. I know this from experience in using a tall water cooler and noticed the larger than normal disparity in temps.

This is not as much of an issue if the leaf floats, but for sinkers it could be a bit of an issue, possibly?

Tead Off wrote:We always see lots of chawans, yunomi, etc. the standards of teaware. But, we don't see many interesting yuzamashi and mizusashi (water containers). A creative mind can have a lot of fun in this area.

I have spent many hours scouring the internet for water storage containers.

Either something that would work on it's own to provide water for a day or twos brewing needs, or with the ability to add charcoal.

coloradopu wrote:cool how big are the water storage and do thy need lids,pourspout, stopper ?

water storage varies from user to user, some swear by storing their water from about 3 to 5 days, some swear by adding charcoal to their stored water to improve it before brewing.

The actual 'ware' the container is made from can vary, some think a 'ching dynasty vase' may be be best, others just need a container to rest the charcoal in.

Some have taps inserted near the bottom like a cider flagon, others have a wide open top with a lid so that water can be ladelled out.The latter may be better for inserting charcoal, removing to dry and clear out prior to reuse or replace with fresh charcoal.

The result of many blind taste tests with the unwitting participation of shop visitors had everyone preferring the flavor of the water from the antique water jar. "Sweeter and softer" was the most common response. We still don't know why a 200 year old, glazed porcelain pot would have such an effect on water. The same water did not have that sweet fullness when we used other contemporary porcelain vessels.Of course not everyone can haul out a Ching Dynasty water jar to store water for tea but I hope others will experiment on their own local or imported waters with different materials and share their results.

coloradopu wrote:cool how big are the water storage and do thy need lids,pourspout, stopper ?

Japanese style has a lid, often lacquered wood, not ceramic, but ceramic is fine. The vessel is primarily used for drawing water from to use during the tea ceremony. The water is ladled out of it. Usually no tap is fixed to it. I would think 2-3 litres is typical.

The yuzamashi I mentioned are used to cool down water from the kettle to proper brewing temperature for green tea. The size can vary depending on the teapots size. 300-400m is a good size. Lots of room for creativity in both items. You should do a search for examples of both of these types.